The Letters We Wrote
by luverofjamesandlily
Summary: This is how things would have gone if Petunia had accepted her sister's magical abilities, instead of being consumed by jealousy.
1. Chapter 1

**I was reading a tumblr post, where Petunia didn't hate Harry, where she was the one who had to bury her sister and brother-in-law. It's a magnificent post, here is the link ink-splotch. tumblr post/106737310659/what-if-when-petunia-dursley-found-a-little-boy (Remove spaces) I really recommend reading it. But that post was what got me thinking, and this is the product of those thoughts. It's basically how I wish Petunia and Lily's relationship had worked out. **

Petunia Evans, contrary to popular belief, did not hate her sister. Lily was everything Petunia was not. She was bold to Petunia's shy, she was vivacious to Petunia's reserved nature, and she was beautiful to Petunia's average looks. Their parents' friends would comment on how beautiful Lily was and how… poised Petunia could be. While Petunia did not enjoy how life had thus far turned out for the both of them, she couldn't begrudge her sister her innate talents. She merely shifted her approach, shielding Lily from the snobby older girls who envied Lily's vibrant red hair, patching up scraped knees when Lily disobeyed her mother's wishes and ran too quickly down the road, reading stories when Lily had nightmares that kept her awake for hours. She couldn't make stories up like Lily could, but Lily loved the fairy tales Petunia recited from books. She even kept a careful eye on Lily when she became friends with that Snape boy. She didn't trust him, Lily was so special and he was not. She could guess he came from a bad home and she didn't want Lily around that.

Then Lily received the letter. Delivered by an owl and followed by a visit from a professor, McGonagall, she thought the name was. Petunia had hidden at the top of the staircase when she had come. Her parents had said it was between them and Lily, but how could Petunia protect Lily from something she knew nothing about?

Lily bounded up the stairs after wishing the professor a safe trip back to Hogwarts, the castle where Lily was to attend school in September.

"Tuney! Did you hear all that? I'm magical!" Lily crowed excitedly once Petunia had led them to their shared bedroom. Lily's side of the room was cluttered, pictures hand-drawn stuck to the wall, toys strewn across her little desk and floor, bookshelf stuffed full of fantasy books. Petunia's was carefully sorted and clean, books organized alphabetically by author's last name, one poster hung exactly over her desk.

"I heard, Lily," Petunia said softly, flashing a smile at her when Lily turned her gaze upon her.

"This explains everything, Tuney! My flower tricks, how I fly off the swing," Lily cried as she flopped onto her bed on her back before scrambling to sit up and look at Petunia. She chattered on enthusiastically, about getting a wand and an owl, meeting other professors and students. Petunia just listened on, smiling every few sentences to show Lily she was listening. In reality, all she could think about was how she was going to lose her sister. Here, at home, Petunia could look after Lily; keep her out of trouble and the sights of anyone who wouldn't understand her. But Petunia knew that Lily would fit in at this magic school. She would no longer need protecting. And if Lily didn't need Petunia to protect her, would she need her at all?

…

"Tuney, maybe I can talk to Professor Dumbledore when I get there, convince him to let you come too!" Lily said anxiously as they stood on the 9 ¾ platform. Petunia forced a smile on her face as she turned to look at Lily, tearing her gaze from the train and platform full of people dressed in strange outfits.

"No, Lily. This school is where you belong. You're going to have so much fun, you'll forgot all about me," Petunia said, speaking her real thoughts but hoping it came across as a joke. To her inner relief, Lily took it seriously and hugged Petunia tightly, shaking her head.

"I'd never forget you, Tuney. You're my best friend!" Lily said, voice muffled from being buried in Petunia's chest.

"You're mine too, Lils. I love you. Promise to write?" she asked softly.

"Of course!" Lily promised, pulling back to beam at her older sister. Petunia withdrew to let Lily say goodbye to their parents and then waved half-heartedly at Lily through a window once she was on the train. Lily blew kisses at them and waved, head poked out of the window until she was a small dot on the landscape.

…

_September 18__th__, 1971_

_Dear Tuney,_

_My first week has been absolutely wonderful. I got sorted into the Gryffindor House. Remember I told you about the houses? Gryffindor focuses on bravery. Then there's Ravenclaw, they like wit and smarts. Hufflepuff is the next, they're loyalty. And last is Slytherin, they are cunning, that's what Severus is. My classes are so cool, Potions is my favorite I think. Once we get into really making things, it will be even more fun. All of the professors are so smart and kind. Tuney, I really finally fit in here, not like at home. I miss you, and Mummy and Daddy. But if you three were here, it would be so grand. I would never need to come home if you were here. My dorm mates are lovely, there's Alice, Mary, and Marlene. We get along really well, which is good. I was worried about that. _

_There are ghosts! Real live, well, not live, but ghosts! The nicest one I've talked to so far is Nearly Headless Nick, he got his head chopped off but they didn't do it right, so his head is still attached a little. I'm sorry; I shouldn't have written that, I know you get sick at things like that. The food in the Great Hall is so good, and it just appears out of thin air! I love all of this magic, but it's taken some getting used to. There's this boy, his name is James Potter and I hate him. He is loud and obnoxious and thinks he's better than Sev. He likes to tease us, especially because Sev is a Slytherin. Apparently there's some kind of competition between those two houses. But I don't care. I'm friends with Sev and no one can make me change my mind. That's about all for now; I should get started on my homework. I love you lots, Tuney! Give my love to Mum and Dad as well. _

_ Lily_

_September 25__th__, 1971_

_ Dear Lils,_

_ Your letter was really very nice. Mum and Dad and I are glad you like it there. It sounds like you're having a blast, but make sure you finish all of your homework too! Are you glad you're a Gryffindor? It sounds like it's the perfect match for you, Cherie. (I started French classes this year, I'm not terribly good at it though). I'm glad you like Potions, that sounds very cool. What are your dorm mates like? Do they like the same things as you do? _

_ Ghosts sound terrifying! They don't haunt anyone, do they? And, Lily, you could have scratched that part of the letter out. You know how I get all faint when I think of things like that. Is this Potter boy bullying you? You should talk to a professor or someone about him, no one should push you around, Lils. I wish I was there to look after you. But you'll handle it, you're in your element there. Never forget that. Is Severus still being nice to you, if there is a rivalry between the two houses? Be careful. Good job on doing your homework, don't fall behind! I'm not there to prod you into doing it anymore. I love you a lot, too, Lily. As do Mum and Dad. Have fun!_

_ Tuney_

**That is the beginning! The rest of the school year, with the exception of Christmas Break, will be done in letter format. I hope you liked it, and if so, please review and let me know! I'd be willing to write out the entirety of their relationship, including my version of how it kind of falls apart. **


	2. Chapter 2

_October 3__rd__, 1971_

_ Tuney,_

_ Stop worrying, I promise I'm getting all of my work done. I am glad I'm a Gryffindor. They seem to be really nice and into sports. Did I tell you about Quidditch? It's this sport witches and wizards play, flying on broomsticks! There's seven players on each team: three catchers, two beaters, one keeper, and one seeker. The catchers play with the quaffle, it's the bigger reddish ball that they toss back and forth and try to throw through one of three huge rings that stand so tall in the stadium. The keeper guards the rings against the catchers. The beaters carry these little bats and hit a mean ball that flies around the pitch trying to knock players off their brooms. Can you imagine, a ball that flies on its own! Then there's the seeker. They fly around looking for a tiny little gold ball called the snitch. It has these beautiful wings, that's how it flies. And catching that gets the team a lot of points, usually if you catch the snitch, you win the game. The first match is coming up soon, next month I think. _

_ Alice is the nicest girl, very chipper all the time. She always has something nice to say and is a good listener. Mary is also very sweet, she likes to talk about anything and everything! Marlene is more spirited, she likes pranking and teasing the boys. They're so splendid. I'm sorry about the ghost part, I didn't mean to make you sick. Potter isn't bullying me, he's just annoying. My friends think he _likes _me. Can you believe that? Why would you tease someone if you like them? It's so silly. I would never like him, not if he was the last person on Earth! He's very stupid, already he has a group of friends and they make fun of people together. There's Sirius Black, they seem the closest, Peter Pettigrew, he seems rather timid and cowed by the others, and Remus Lupin. Of all of them, Lupin seems the nicest, he doesn't join in when Potter teases me and sometimes he smiles when I make jokes of my own. _

_ I can handle myself, don't worry, Tuney. And Sev is being nice to me, we're friends. That isn't going to change, Tuney, because of some stupid house rivalry. Love you!_

_Lily_

_October 17__th__, 1971_

_ Lily, _

_ I don't care much for normal sports, so I can't imagine I'd like quidditch either, but it sounds interesting. You'll have to tell me how the first match goes. Are the matches house against house? Or how does that work? Dad's favorite football team won, he's ecstatic. School has been rather boring lately, I don't like a few teachers this year. _

_ I'm glad the girls are nice. Keep an eye on Marlene, you don't want to get into trouble for her pranks. While I can't imagine you liking him back, maybe your friends are right. Boys are stupid, they do stupid things to get a girl's attention. Just remember, you aren't allowed to date until you're sixteen. But if he's already being annoying, just forget about him. There are other boys who will be nice to you. Even if this Lupin seems nice, be careful. If you become friends with a friend of Potter, you'll have a harder time getting rid of him. I'm glad Sev is being nice to you. See that he keeps being nice. Love you too, Lils. _

_ Tuney_

_October 28__th__, 1971_

_ Tuney,_

_ I watched the tryouts for the Quidditch team, it looks really cool. I think you'd like it, Tuney. It's more exciting than all of the sports Dad watches. I am happy his team won, though. I'm sorry you don't like the teachers. It's just because you're too smart for them, you know everything about school! _

_ Marlene won't get me in trouble, she's really careful when she does pranks. And it's usually against the boys, mostly Potter and his group. They have a name for themselves now, they call themselves the Marauders. So silly, like they're a club or something. But back to my point, the boys won't tattle on her, they just plan a prank in revenge. It's kind of a war now. I don't think Potter likes me, he's rude and stupid and hardly does the work for class! I wish I could avoid him, but since he's in my house, we have all of our classes together. I'll just have to ignore him. I don't think I'll become best friends with Lupin, but it's useful to have one person on my side. Maybe he'll convince Potter to leave me and Sev alone. Sev isn't going to suddenly change, Tuney. I love you. _

_Lily_

_November 10__th__, 1971_

_ Lily, _

_ I'll have to take your word for it, since I'll never see a game of Quidditch. I'm glad you like it though, maybe you could try out for the team next year. I don't know everything about school, Lils. But it is rather boring, we do a lot of review. Maybe soon we'll move onto new things, that'd be nice. Mum's great-aunt Beatrice died, the one who always gave us those icky candies when she visited. The funeral was Saturday. Don't tell Mum, but it was really boring. All of these relatives I don't know were there; they kept hugging me and asking where you were. I couldn't remember the name of the boarding school we're supposed to tell people, so that was embarrassing. I stood there like a bumbling idiot until Dad walked over and talked to them for me. _

_ Just be careful, people get hurt in wars, Lils. I don't want anything to happen to you. And do you still like everything at the school? Are you homesick at all? And yes, just ignore Potter. He sounds like the kind of boy who will leave you alone if you don't encourage him. Love you too. _

_ Tuney_

_November 23__rd__, 1971_

_ Tuney,_

_ Maybe I will try out, we'll see. It would be fun. The first game was a couple weeks ago, it was so great! It was Ravenclaw against Slytherin and Ravenclaw won! Sev wasn't happy, but the Ravenclaws all seem very nice. And you do know everything about school, Tuney! I think you know everything. Well, not about magic, but everything else! I don't remember great-aunt Beatrice very well, but I do remember those candies. I hated those! But it's too bad she died, was Mum very sad? I promise I won't say anything to her about you thinking it was boring. I hate when strangers hug me, I'm rather glad I wasn't there! I am sorry you had to go alone though, that must not have been much fun. You aren't an idiot though, there's lots of things to remember about my story. Don't worry, no one will remember anyway. _

_ Don't be so serious, Tuney. No one's going to get hurt in this war. And I'm fine! In fact, I'm not homesick at all! Mary is sometimes, she cries at night when she thinks we're asleep. But then I get up and give her a hug and she feels better. But I'm not homesick one bit! I mean, I miss you, and Mum and Dad. But I love it here. And I wish I could ignore him. He bothers Sev all the time, so finally I said something to him. But Sev wasn't happy about that, he said some rude things about not needing a girl to stand up for him. Which is stupid, just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I can't protect people I care about. But he'll apologize soon, I'm sure of it. He didn't mean it, he was just embarrassed._

_ Love,_

_ Lily_

_December 8__th__, 1971_

_ Lily,_

_ I'm glad the game was fun, too bad Sev wasn't happy. And thank you, Lily, but I don't. Especially not about magic, like you said. You'll be the expert on that! Mum was a little sad, but she was fine afterwards. Yeah, I wish you had been there too. It would have been easier if you were there, but that's okay. School is important. _

_ All right, just be careful. It's good you're not homesick. And that you're helping your friend out. It's good to be nice. Sev is an idiot, Lils, if he doesn't want you defending him. He needs to learn you can take care of yourself and others. Potter sounds really annoying. I'm sorry you have to deal with him. I'm really happy you're coming home next week! I miss you a lot. It'll be nice to have you home, just like old times. I love you._

_ Tuney_

**There's chapter 2! I really hope you like it, I really like it. Please leave a review! I'm considering finishing off Lily's first year like this, I might do summer break in regular format, and then get to Lily's second year. Or I might skip summer altogether and go right to second year. Let me know what you want to read!**


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